Refrigerating apparatus



I Oct. 8, 1940. A. c. HUGHES REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 193'! 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 8, 1940.

A. C. HUGHES REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I swab/WM I CZHughes,

Patented Oct. 8,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Arthur 0. Hughes, Dallas, Tex. I Application September 20,1937, Serial No. 164,825

- 6 Claims.

to provide a cooling or refrigerating cabinet par- 7 ticularly adapted for cooling beverages in bottles or analogous containers capable of effecting a 10 rapid heat exchange or cooling action within a relatively short time and at maximum efliciency.

Another object of the invention is .to provide a device of the type specified which may be constructed with a capacity capable of meeting prac- 5 tically any normal or reasonable demands and wherein a relatively rapid cooling or chilling action may be had substantially uniformly throughout the entire area of the cabinet.

Another object of the invention is to generally 20 simplify and improve cooling or refrigerating cabinets of this particular type.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will become apparent in view of the following description taken in conjunction with the 25 drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through a cooling or refrigerating cabinet embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with the lids or 30 top removed;

Figs. 3 and 4.are transverse sectional views taken substantially on the lines 3-4 and 4-4, Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a view in section and side elevation 35 of a modification in cabinet construction.

The improved cabinet is of that general type wherein a circulation of cooling medium, preferi ably water but which may be any other desired medium such as brine or the like, is maintained 40 through the cabinet and then in direct heat exchange relation with cooling means maintained at a low temperature by any suitable type of refrigerating unit, such as the evaporator coils of a refrigerating system. 45 Referring in detail to the drawings, the cabinet comprises an outer casing or shell generally I indicated at 5, said shell or casing being suitably insulated, as indicated at 6, and overlying the insulation is a sheet metal liner I. I, V 50 Positioned in the bottom of the cabinet and arranged lengthwise thereof are a series of cooling coils 8, said coils as shown in the present instance comprislng two layers substantially evenly spaced throughout the width of the box. These 55 coils comprise the evaporator of a suitable refrigerating system, the latter in the example illustrated consisting of a compressor-condenser unit generally indicated at C and mounted in a machine compartment C having openings and O which may be protected by louvres or other suitable means. It will be obvious, however, that any desired type ofrefrigerating apparatus may be adopted and including suitable automatic temperature controls well known in this particular art.

Above the coils and spaced relatively close to the latter is a battle or false bottom or floor 9 which may be madeof suitable material preferably having a high ratio of heat conductivity, such as sheet metal of relatively thin gauge. In practice, I have found that fourteen gauge rustproof sheet metal has proved highly efficient.

' The cabinet is preferably of elongated rectangular form and is divided in a plurality of compartments by means of foraminous or openwork partitions i0, note particularly Fig. 3. These partitions in the present instance each comprise a wire mesh slide mounted in suitable guides I l on the side of the cabinet. Each compartment may be provided with a suitable lid I! which as shown are mounted to slide laterally of the cabinet.

At one end of the cabinet, a dry storage compartment or box I3 is provided and may be used. for articles which are to be kept free from water 'or the circulating cooling fluid. The box I3 is suitably spaced from the sides and bottom of the main cabinet, and the false bottom or baflle floor 9 preferably stops short of the box I3 providing an intake space indicated at M.

At the end of the cabinet opposite that con- 5 taining the box I3 is a machinery compartment l5 for the circulating mechanism. The means for effecting circulation of the beverage cooling fluid comprises a motor M'provided with a suit-' able impeller or circulator [6, the water or other 40 cooling fluid being drawn up through opening 11 in the bottom of chamber I8 and into conduit l-9 and then forcedoutwardly through conduit is into the main storage space of the cabinet, the water in said space circulating in the direction of the arrows around and in heat-exchange relation with the bottles or cans of beverage and then passing into intake l4 and flowing beneath the baflie or floor 9 around the coils 8 and back into chamber 18 to repeat the cycle. Asuitable 5o drain and overfiowpipe 2llis-connected to the cabinet at one end thereof. The water may be circulated rapidly or slowly in accordance with the demands on the system,

the circulation preferably being continuous. 55.

Since the partitions I are open, the water may circulate freely therethrough, and as it circulates through the main cooling space or compartments, it becomes more or less agitated so that there is a constant interchange or transfer of heat from the Water to and through the baflle or floor 9 to the evaporator coils 8. Due to the restricted space between the baflle orfloor 9 and the bottom of the cabinet in which the evaporator coils are housed or nested, the water on its return cycle is subjected to a highly efficient heat exchange relationship with the said coils. Thus, the water or cooling fluid may be circulated rapidly with highly eihcient heat transfer to the relatively large coil surface in the narrow space between the false bottom or bafiie 9, and this construction coupled with the highly effective heat transfer by conduction through the said baffle or floor provides a cooling cabinet having a remarkable high degree of efficiency. Furthermore, the temperature throughout the cabinet is substantially uniform, tests in actual operation, without product load, showing a temperature at the pump end duits l9a and l9b and after circulating in op-' posite directions through the main cooling space,

of the cabinet of 33 F. and at the opposite end a temperature of 34 F. There is also practically no temperature difference at the top and bottom of the storage space, probably due in a large part to the relatively rapid circulation of the cooling fluid and the turbulent action of the latter.

Fig. 5 shows a modification in structure wherein a slightly different system of circulating the cooling fluid is utilized. In-this instance, the

circulating mechanism is mounted at an intermediate point along the length of the main cooling space, preferably, substantially centrally thereof, and the cooling fluid is forced in opposite directions. The circulating motor is indicated at M and is mounted in a compartment I8, the impeller being indicated at l6. Thecooling medium or water is forced outwardly through conit is drawn inwardly through inlets 2| and 22, at

opposite ends of the baffle or floor 9'. This con-.

struction may be utilized in certain installations and may be found to produce greater efllciency under certain conditions, as for example where a cabinet of relatively great length is used.

It will be understood that other changes and modifications in design and construction may be adopted within the scope of the invention as de-- fined by the appended claims.

I claim: l. Refrigeration apparatus for cooling bottled or canned beverages and like products comprising a cabinet having insulatedside and bottom walls, a plurality of evaporator coils positioned inside and adjacent the bottom wall of the cabinet and spaced substantially throughout the bottom area of the cabinet. a baflie closely overlying said coils and together with the side walls of the cabinet forming a storage space, said baflle being comprised of. relatively thin material of high thermal conductivity and togetherwith the the bottom wall of the cabinet and spaced substantially throughout the width of said cabinet, a

baflie overlying said coils and together with the side walls of, the cabinet forming a storage space,

said bafiie being comprised of material of relatively high thermal conductivityand together with the bottom and portions of the side walls of the cabinet forming a fluid cooling flow channel with the coils closely confined therein, said storage space having at one end thereof a refrigerated compartment partitioned off from the storage space but subjected to action of the cooling fluid in the latter, said storage space com- 'municating with said flow channel adjacent the bottom of said compartment, and means for establishing a forced circulation'of fluid through the storage space and said channel and in heat exchange relation with the side and bottom walls of said compartment.

3. Refrigerating apparatus for cooling bottled or canned beverages and the like comprising an elongated cabinet having insulated side and bottom walls, evaporator coils positioned inside and.

adjacent the bottom wall df the cabinet and spaced throughout substantially the entire width of said cabinet, a baflle closely overlying said coils and together with the side walls of the cabinet forming a storage space, said baille being comprised of material of relatively high thermal conductivity and together. with the bottom and portions of the side walls of the cabinet providing a fluid cooling flow channel with the coils closely confined therein, said cabinet being provided with a refrigerated compartment at one end thereof having side walls partitioning the compartment from saidstorage space, said walls being subjected to the action of the cooling fluid'in said cabinet, and a bottom wall which overlies at least a portion of said coils at one end of said channel, said bafile wall terminating short of said com,- partment andproviding a communicating opening between said storage space and said channel at one extremity of the channel, and means for establishing forced circulation of fluid through the storage space and said channel and in heat exchange relation with the walls of said compartment.

4, A cooling cabinet comprising an elongated housing having side and bottom walls defining a space therein, a bafiie within said space and dividing it into a main storage space and a cooling chamber, transversely disposed foraminous partitions dividing the main storage space into a plurality of compartments, a non-foraminous partition wall at one end of the main storage space providing a dry cooling compartment, cooling means located within said cooling chamber adjacent to and extending along the greater portion of the length of said main storage space and substantially throughout the width of the latter, said baflle being .formed of material of high heat conductivity and terminating short of the non-foraminous partition to provide a communicatin opening for circulation of a cooling fluid in contact with said partition and between the main storage space and the fluid cooling chamber, and means for establishing a forced circulation of cooling fluid through the main storage space and said cooling chamber.

5. A cooling cabinet comprising an elongated housing having side and bottom walls defining a space therein adapted for circulation of cooling fluid, a bafiie Within said space and dividing it into a main storage space and a cooling chamber, a non-foraminous partition wall at one end of the main storage space providing a dry cooling compartment, evaporator coils located within said cooling chamber adjacent to and extending along the greater portion of the length of the main storage space and also in proximity to the dry cooling compartment, said baffle being comprised of material of relatively high thermal conductivity and terminating short of said partition wall; the arrangement being such as to provide a restricted fluid cooling space adjacent the main storage space and beneath the dry cooling compartment with said coils closely confined therein, and means forestablishing a forced circulation of cooling fluid through the main storage space and said cooling space, said partition wall being exposed to the cooling action of the circulating cooling fluid.

6. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having side and bottom Walls defining a compartment, means within said compartment defining therewith at least two chambers, means for refrigerating said compartment including an evaporator adjacent a wall portion thereof, a baille within and cooperating with a wall of said compartment to include at least a portion of said evaporator between said bafile and said wall, said first mentioned means cooperating with said compartment walls to enclose at least a portion of said evaporator between said first mentioned means and said wall of said compartment, and means for circulating cooling fluid, the arrangement being such that said circulating means acts to draw fluid at least in part over said first and second mentioned evaporator portions, and to pass it through one and at least in part about another of said'chambers.

ARTHUR C. HUGHES. 

